WORDS ROSALIND RYAN
There was no escaping the Danish philosophy of hygge last winter – perhaps not surprisingly given how it basically gave us permission to snuggle up indoors with friends, enjoying roaring fires, hot chocolate and cashmere jumpers. But now summer has finally hit our shores, the Norwegian ethos of friluftsliv is much more suitable. Norway has just topped the table as the happiest country in the world, too, so is it time we got friluftsliv all figured out?
What is friluftsliv?
Translated, friluftsliv means ‘free air life’, but it is much more than simply spending time outdoors. The phrase first appeared in 1859 in a poem by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, On The Heights, which described a feeling of craving to be outside in nature. ‘Friluftsliv is about feeling the joy of being out in nature, alone or with others, experiencing pleasure and harmony with the surroundings,’ says friluftsliv expert Børge Dahle in Nature First: Outdoor Life And The Friluftsliv Way (Natural Heritage, £15.99).
This connection with the great outdoors is almost part of the Norwegian DNA. Ingrid Dahle, 34, a Norwegian comedian (ingriddahle.com) now living in the UK, says, ‘There’s an expression that Norwegians are born with skis on, but it could just as well be walking boots; if you haven’t climbed a mountain by the age of three, then you’re not Norwegian! Whether you live in a town or the countryside, whether it’s summer or winter, Norwegians will spend most of their time outdoors. You would have to be ill to stay inside.’